


the weight of living

by thatfangirlingfreak



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, I'll add more characters + tags as needed, Very AU, also jason is a dick lol, murder is wild y'all, probs a lot of bastille related titles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-13 23:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11195790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatfangirlingfreak/pseuds/thatfangirlingfreak
Summary: When Betty Cooper thought about her future, she saw stability, safety, and success. She never expected to see a dead body.Or,Jason Blossom's murder goes a lot differently.





	1. hands so bloody, tastes like honey

**Author's Note:**

> inspiration for this hit me whilst reading In Cold Blood. (although I did see that one bughead!murderer au edit circling around tumblr a few days ago–if anyone knows who did that edit pls let me know I'd love to give credit bc it did influence this a bit!!) this is probably going to be darker than anything I've ever written before, so I'm excited to see where it goes! fic title is from the weight of living pt. I/II by bastille, and the chapter title is from the prologue by halsey.
> 
> p.s. I'm so sorry I haven't finished my part 2 for the betty pov version of my astrological series–IT WILL GET DONE I SWEAR

Betty Cooper was afraid of many things.

Her mother, for one. The source of her anxieties and social pressure ever since she could breathe. She cultivated her daughter into perfection, and Betty learned that this reputation could never be soiled. No matter what she did, it haunted her.

If Alice saw her now, she'd be furious.

Her second daughter, the one she'd managed to keep on the good side, was on the Southside.

Growing up, Betty had heard everything about the darker part of Riverdale. The gangs, the violence, the murders, the Serpents. Tales that made her squirm and awake in the middle of the night out of pure fear.

But she needed to find Polly, even if she was afraid as fuck.

Her sister was dating Jason Blossom, the twin brother of Cheryl. They were both in her grade. Somehow Jason had caught Polly's eye, even though she was becoming a junior this year.

Their relationship was not approved of by the Cooper family, nor the Blossom family. Age was not the issue; however, deeply rooted family drama was. Oh, and the new addition of drugs. Who could forget that?

Jason had begun selling drugs on the Southside, buddying it up with some of the Serpents. Polly had revealed it all to her one night, after their parents had gone to bed. The couple had an elaborate plan to sneak out of Riverdale and live happily ever after.

A bullshit plan, really. But Betty wasn't about to deprive her sister of following her dream. If anything, she was envious of her happiness.

Anyways, it was nearing curfew and Polly hadn't returned home from her date with Jason. Betty, ever the saint, decided it was up to her to find her sister before they would both have to face the wrath of their mother.

**betty** : _pol, where are you?? **(sent 9:45)**_

**sis** : _sweetwater w jason!! why? **(sent 9:50)**_

**betty** : _it's getting late... **(sent 9:51)**_

**sis** : _oh, ur right...can u come get me in mom's car?? J drove me here **(sent 9:53)**_

**betty** : _okay, be there soon x **(sent 9:53)**_

As promised, Betty arrived by the riverside at around 10:20 in Alice's old car. She parked and switched the headlights off, then turned on her phone's flashlight to start making her way out of the car. God, it was dark.

Polly hadn't really specified where she was at Sweetwater River, but Betty figured she could find the duo easily enough.

And then she heard a scream.

Betty took off running in the direction of the sound, getting mangled by bushes and branches. The noise sounded like her sister, and she had never been so petrified in her life.

For a moment, she stopped to listen for any other distinct screams, but she heard nothing. This didn't deter her, though, and the blonde kept moving on her original path.

Eventually she made it to a clearing in the woods, where she could see the river's bank.

And she could clearly see Jason Blossom, a hand covering her sister's mouth as she struggled against his grip.

"Polly!" Betty yelled, against her better judgement.

Jason's eyes snapped up to meet hers. They were slightly red, she noted as she charged forward to save her sister.

The older Cooper daughter released a muffled cry beneath her boyfriend's hand, still attempting to move away from him. Jason refused to let her go.

"Jason, what are you doing?!" Betty inquired, trying to grab Polly but to no avail.

"Step any closer, and I'll kill her." As Jason said these words that would ring in Betty's mind for weeks to come, she spotted the gun in his hand under the glow of her flashlight.

Everything froze, and Betty's entire body began to shake. She stopped in her tracks immediately. Faint sobbing came from Polly, blending in with the sounds of the river rushing.

"Jason? You down here, dude?" A deep voice called from behind Betty. She was too afraid to turn around to look at who was about to witness this scene. "C'mon, we're about to head to the Wyrm with–holy _fuck_."

The gun was now pointed at the new guest instead of Betty. She let out a deep exhale.

"Don't come any closer," Jason commanded.

"Dude, what the fuck is happening?! Jason, put that shit down. You shouldn't play with guns," The stranger exclaimed, sounding just as shocked as she was.

"Shut up, Jughead!" There was a slight tremble in Jason's hand. "I'll kill all of you if you don't cooperate."

Jughead moved forward so that he was standing next to Betty. She could just see him out of the corner of her eye.

"You don't want to do that, Jason," He said in a steady voice. It would be calming if it weren't for the weapon pointed straight at them.

"Oh, but it would be my pleasure," The Blossom twin grinned evilly.

"Why?" Betty asked, finding courage to speak. "Why would you want to kill us? Don't you love Polly?"

He let out a laugh that sent a chill down her spine. "You Cooper girls, so naive." The gun was back on her. "Your sister is merely a good fuck, Betty. Well, _was_. Then Polly just had to go and get pregnant like a selfish bitch."

The barrel was now pressed against Polly's back. So much was running through Betty's mind at this new information, but not letting her sister get shot was more important than anything else right now.

Polly turned her head away for a split second, just enough time to get her mouth out from under his hand. "I didn't do it on purpose!" She cried.

Jason barked out another laugh. "Right. You didn't want to ruin my life and take advantage of my family's wealth. Sure, sweetheart."

Betty's free hand curled into a fist, fingernails beginning to sink into the skin of her palm. She needed to curb both her anger and anxiety, a terrible concoction of emotions.

"Jason, put down the gun and we can talk about this in a civil manner. I'm sure we can work this out," Jughead said.

"No, I don't care. I don't need to talk about this anymore, I'm done. There's only one way to fix everything, and that's with this." The gun made a clicking noise, and Betty nearly screamed.

She whipped her head to the side and looked at Jughead with panic in her eyes. It was hard to make out much with the dim lighting of her phone and the moonlight, but she knew he wore a similar expression.

If they didn't act now, Polly would die. One of them might die.

So, after shoving her phone into her pocket, Betty quickly charged forward at the same time Jughead did. She managed to get a hold of the gun, snatching it from Jason's grip while Jughead did his best to take the twin down.

Polly escaped from her captor while they fought against him, and she began to run. As soon as Betty had grabbed the weapon, she followed suit, with Jughead trailing after her.

They sprinted into the woods with all they had.

But she forgot her flashlight was still on.

Suddenly two hands grabbed Betty from behind, and she let out a yelp. Her sister and Jughead turned around instantly, and saw Jason pulling Betty towards him. He was trying to get the gun from her hands.

"You fucking bitch," He growled. "I swear, you and your sister are dead."

And then she elbowed him in the stomach, escaped his clutches, and turned around. Jason groaned, and looked up into the light of her flashlight shining from its spot in the front pocket of her jeans.

At the exact moment he looked up, she didn't even think twice before taking the gun and shooting him right between the eyes.

Jason Blossom fell to the dirt, and Betty dropped the gun.

She rushed towards the body, and started to shake again. She couldn't even feel her nails breaking the palm of her skin, or the streams of blood starting to come out.

Betty turned to look at her sibling and Jughead. "I-I..."

Polly quickly approached her sister, forcing her to stand up and away from the dead body so she wouldn't make contact with it. "C'mon, Betty. You can't leave any evidence on him."

Evidence. Crime. She had just committed a _crime_. A real murder. They were living something she'd only ever read about or seen on TV. And _she'd_ done it.

Jughead put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll help you clean up and hide the body, yeah?"

Betty just stared at him with wide eyes, utterly frozen. She didn't know how to open her mouth anymore.

Four people in the middle of a forest. One lay dead on the ground, as the three living members of the party stood over him.

If Alice saw her daughters now, she'd die. Just like Jason Blossom.


	2. bury it and rise above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of a murder, and about a million questions, courtesy of our very own Betty Cooper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: Bury It by CHVRCHES
> 
> to clarify, Jughead and Betty weren't childhood friends before this. enjoy!

  
Betty sat outside at the back of the Serpent bar (Worm? Warm? Something to that extent.) that Jughead drove them to.

The leader of the Southside gang–FP, she vaguely remembers–helped them load up the body properly, so that there'd be no evidence. Plastic, gloves, everything. She wondered how he knew what to do. Did he kill someone before? And how was he helping them without even interrogating them or turning them in?

No, she thought. She shouldn't assume the worst of him just because he was in a gang. Maybe he owes Jughead for something.

Betty didn't even know what they were doing with the body in there, or how Polly, Jughead, and FP could even stand to look at it. She felt sick the entire time they were placing it into the trunk, and didn't even try to help them drag it into the basement of the bar.

Polly must have seen it on her face as they were trying to lift Jason out of the car, as she told her that it was okay to wait it out at the back. They wouldn't take long.

She stared at the ground blankly, unable to get it all out of her head. She _murdered_ Jason Blossom. Killed someone. Shot someone. How could life continue now?

Somewhere behind her a door creaked open, but she didn't acknowledge it. "Betty?"

She turned around to see Jughead, and tried to give him a smile. It was a weak attempt.

"We...it's done," He said in a low voice. "It's in the freezer. My dad's going to take care of it, yeah?"

"Dad?" She asked, puzzled.

"FP's my dad. I told you that," He replied in confusion.

"Oh, sorry. My mind is all over the place."

"Understandable," Jughead sighed, sitting down next to her. "You gonna be okay?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Okay?! How am I supposed to even _live_ with myself anymore? How the hell are you and Polly being so calm about this? It's a crime!"

"Keep your voice down," He said sternly, hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, but you need to take a deep breath and get your shit together, Betty."

"I'm sorry," She breathed, trying to collect her wits. "I just–why don't we call the police? If we confess now, telling them it was all in self-defense...?"

Jughead stared at her, and she felt stupid instantly. "Betty, do you really think they'll believe us? And do you really think the wealthy Blossom family won't do everything in their power to win a case against an 'evil' Southside Serpent and the daughters of their ultimate rivals?"

"How did you know our families hate each other?" She inquired.

"Jason would talk about how he was planning to run away with a girl just to piss off his family and get them off his back. Polly was his pawn, and he was a manipulative prick. He deserved to die."

"I don't even know how you can say that," Betty said. "Maybe it's different because I pulled the trigger, but all I think about is how happy he made my sister. The two of them in the halls at school, and the smile on her face when she came back from dates. It was like...he was a different person tonight."

Jughead let out a soft hum, almost like he had just realized something.

"What?" She asked.

"I'm almost positive that Jason had taken drugs before Polly showed up. He sells–sold them, y'know? To make a quick buck, obviously. I don't think he'd ever taken them prior to tonight, but one of the older Serpents was passing something around and he just took it. Didn't think twice."

"Oh my god," Betty murmured. "Do you think that's why he tried to kill Pol?"

Jughead shook his head. "I don't think just drugs can be the driving force of something as serious as murder. This had to be an idea he'd thought of before, surely."

She put her head in her hands. "God, he was a good actor then. I never imagined that he would even attempt something like that. I guess I never imagined I would do what I did either, but I wasn't going to let him hurt my sister. Never again."

Jughead smiled slightly. He seemed like a person who didn't smile a lot, in Betty's opinion. "Well, Cooper, I've got good news for you."

She elbowed his side lightly. "You can't make jokes at a time like this."

He shrugged. "Gotta cope somehow. Speaking of which, can I trust that you won't go crazy tonight? Run and tell a cop? Blame it all on me to get away with it?"

Betty couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "I promise I won't go crazy."

"You sure?" She nodded. "Nope, I don't trust nice girls like you. I've gotta be able to check on you somehow. Got a phone?"

Betty handed him her phone. Her hands nearly trembled when she took it out of her pocket, remembering when she was last holding it, watching a gun be pressed against her sister.

"Alright," Jughead handed it back to her, a new contact added in. "That's my number. I'm going to need updates on you, Cooper."

"Creepy," She retorted. "But I'll keep in touch, sure."

Jughead stood up to leave. "Creep is my middle name. See you 'round, Betty."

"Wait, what's your last name?" She asked, noticing he left it out of the contact information.

"Jones, Jughead Jones," He said, impersonating James Bond. She laughed as he gave her a wink, and then he was gone.

Polly replaced him, exiting the bar only a moment after Jughead entered it. "Hey, Betty. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," She replied, standing up. "Where's the car? I think I still have the keys."

"You don't. I took them from your purse, remember? And FP got someone to drive it over here for us," Her sister stated. Betty couldn't recall any of it.

"I guess I kind of blanked after we got here. And during the car ride."

Polly frowned and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Betty. I'm so sorry."

"I killed the boy you loved, Pol," She whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. "I should be the one apologizing. I ruined everything for you."

Polly pulled away, and gripped her by the shoulders. "No, no. He wasn't as good as we thought he was. I would've been worse off if you didn't show up. I'm just apologizing because I know how much this is going to haunt you."

"But you still loved him, Polly, before you saw the real him. That's going to haunt you too," Betty pointed out.

"Yeah," Her sister exhaled. "It will, there's no denying that. But my child and I are still alive, and so are you. Right now, I just feel grateful."

The Cooper sisters got in their car, and drove off. Along the way home, Polly crafted an elaborate excuse to tell their mother for missing curfew.

As she spoke, Betty observed her sister for a moment. So optimistic and bright, even though they had just been through one of the most traumatizing experiences of their young lives.

She didn't know how she could do it. Maybe one of them had to have some resemblance of strength in midst of all this.

But Betty didn't know if she was being strong or naive.

When they came home, Alice immediately began interrogating them whilst their father tried his best to soothe her. Polly's lie apparently worked to convince her though, as after about ten minutes they all went up the stairs for bed.

However, Betty had some questions for her sister that would keep her awake if she didn't ask them now.

"Polly," She asked after shutting her sister's bedroom door. "When did you know you were pregnant?"

The older Cooper sister started wiping away her makeup. "I only found out last week, after I threw up in the morning. I went out and bought a test, which ended up being positive. I guess the condom broke when Jason and I–"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to, Betty," She frowned. "But I didn't even tell Jason until...well, until tonight. I was afraid of everyone's reactions. He was so angry. I don't even know how I'm going to tell Mom and Dad."

"When you texted me, things seemed okay at Sweetwater. What happened during that short amount of time?" She inquired.

"Well, I called Jason earlier today, and told him that we should meet by the river because I had to see him. He agreed and we set a time. Obviously I was meeting him to talk about the pregnancy, and I knew he'd be going to the Southside as per usual. He came and picked me up, seemingly normal. We got to the river, but he left me for about fifteen minutes to go talk to some Serpents or something."

"He never gave you a real reason as to why he was gone?" Betty asked.

"No," Polly replied. "I never really asked, just assumed that it was all fine. Around this time you texted me, and then he came back and his eyes were red. Jason seemed...strange. He acted a little more crudely than usual, saying terrible things to me that I refuse to repeat. I eventually worked up the nerve to reveal my pregnancy to him, and he was livid. Kept telling me that I did it on purpose."

"Did he pull out the gun then?"

"After a few more rounds of him calling me a whore and telling me I should get an abortion, yeah. He pulled the gun out of the side of his jacket, and shoved it against me. I screamed, so he shut me up by putting his hand over my mouth. God...he told me that I was gonna die. No one would hear me scream anymore, and–" Polly swallowed. "If I didn't cooperate he'd strangle me."

"My god, Polly..." Betty said, taking her sister's hand in hers. "That was around the time I showed up then?"

"Yes," Polly smiled. "You saved me, Betty."

She returned the smile, before asking a final question. "Polly, do you think Jason was on drugs when he was trying to kill you?"

Her sister thought for a moment. "Shit, I guess you're right. That would explain the red eyes, maybe his behavior too. But he would never...Jason promised me he wouldn't get involved with that stuff."

"I think there was a lot of things we didn't expect Jason to do, but Jughead told me he saw him take drugs from a Serpent," Betty revealed.

"No...no!" Polly exclaimed. "Jason?"

"Is it really that unexpected, Polly? He tried to kill us tonight! I don't think drugs is more surprising than that."

"You don't understand, Betty. He wouldn't, and I know it."

"Why do you say that?"

"No, I'm done with your interrogation shit," Polly snapped. "I knew Jason better than anyone, I don't care what you say, Betty."

Jughead's words about Jason planning her sister's murder ring in her mind.

"None of us knew him, Polly. Not if he could attempt this," She stated.

"Good night, Betty," Her sister said firmly, before shoving her out of her bedroom, and locking the door shut.

Betty sighed, and stood in the hallway for a moment. Why was Polly in such denial of Jason's drug use?

She went into her own room and leaned against the closed door. Maybe she pushed her sister too far, especially since it hadn't even been twenty four hours since her boyfriend's death.

Her phone lit up, interrupting her thoughts.

 **jughead** : _get home safe??_ **_(sent 12:49)_**

 **betty** : _yes, thanks **(sent 12:50)**_

 **jughead** : _no problem, Coop_ _**(sent 12:50)**_

She smiled. Who knew Serpents could be such sweethearts?

Jughead must have known Jason pretty well, she suddenly realized. After all, the twin was spending a lot of time on Southside territory according to Polly. Maybe he knew a bit more about Jason's apparent dark side.

Maybe he could help her investigate this drug thing.

 **betty** : _are you free soon?? **(sent**_ _ **12:54)**_

 **jughead** : _is Betty Cooper asking me on a date?? I'm flattered. **(sent 12:55)**_

 **betty** : _in your wildest dreams. but seriously, we need to talk. **(sent 12:55)**_

 **jughead** : _free whenever you are. just give me a time and place. **(sent 12:56)**_

Betty thought for a moment. She needed a meeting place where she wouldn't be judged for being with a Serpent.

Then she thought, fuck it. Fuck this town and her mother and social stigma. After everything that's happened tonight, she didn't care about any of that anymore. Why should she apologize for who she hangs out with? Why should it matter?

 **betty** : _do you know where Pop's is? **(sent 12:58)**_


	3. watching through my fingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead meet at Pop's, along with an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! I am a terrible writer™.
> 
> LUCKILY I SALVAGED SOME INTEREST IN THIS PLOT THO SO EXPECT MORE MAYBE

The next night, Jughead finds himself sat in a booth at Pop’s, which is pretty typical for him.

He likes coming here, away from his fellow Serpents, to write behind their leather coated backs. If they knew that he, practically the prince of the gang, was into stories and shit? He’d be done for.

So it’s not hard for him to accept Betty’s offer to meet up here the following night. It’s also not hard to accept considering the fact that she was stunning.

He'd probably be working on making serious moves with her, if not for the circumstances under which they met. She's dealing with killing her sister’s boyfriend, he knows he'd be an idiot to add more to her plate right now.

(Maybe he’s more soft than he realizes.)

The bell above the door chimes, and in walks Betty Cooper.

“Hey, thanks for meeting me,” She smiles, sitting down across from him.

He swirls a fry into a small pool of ketchup on his plate. “No problem. What’s goin’ on?”

“I need to find out some information about Jason,” Betty says with a serious look on her face. “I need to know why he was trying to hurt my sister.”

“And why do you need me for that?” He asks, flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes.

She rolls her eyes. “You obviously knew the guy. He was a Serpent, after all.”

“Shouldn't you know him too, then? He was dating your sister, after all,” He retorts.

Betty bites her lip, looking…guilty? “Yeah, maybe I should've tried to get to know him better. Maybe things wouldn't have ended like this…”

Great. Now he feels like an asshole. “It’s not your fault, Betty. There's just some guys who hide their inner demons too well. Don't blame yourself for what you can't change.”

“But if I had just known him better, Jug!” She exclaims, hitting the table slightly. “I could've helped Polly avoid all of this, our lives wouldn't be all..fucked up!”

He slides his plate of fries over to her. “Eat some fries, and keep your voice down, Cooper.” She complies, nibbling quietly. “Look, you can't change what's been done. There's no way to erase a death. I understand that it’s hard, but we have to deal with it and keep going. Okay?”

She sighs. “Okay. Yeah, I get it. It's still fresh and I just–” Her voice wobbles.

“Betty. Betty, look at me,” He says softly. Her head lifts, eyes watery. “Take all the time you need to recover from this. You don't have to look into all this Jason shit until you're ready.”

“Thanks, Jughead,” She sniffs. “But I need to look into this. That's the only way it’ll feel right, if I know the truth.”

He’s skeptical, but somehow he gets it. “Alright, if that's what you want. If you need a break, take one though. You promise?”

“I promise,” She smiles. “Now tell me what you know about Jason.”

“Well damn, alright, Detective,” He scoffs. “I guess I’ll start at the beginning.”

_He’d never seen Jason Blossom in his entire lifetime. There was no need for a rich Northerner to associate himself with the Southside trash._

_So when he showed up in Serpent territory one October day, Jughead was shocked, just like his fellow gang members._

_Jason asked if he could start selling, he needed to make money fast. Drugs was the simple solution, and everyone knows that the Serpents have a reputation for being loaded with them._

_A few higher ranked Serpents began giving him dealing jobs, mostly across to the North because it was easy for someone who blended in to do it. Jason was never seen taking any of the drugs for himself, or even touching the bar’s alcohol stash. He was consistently clean._

_Despite this, he did appear to have something downright evil in him. One time, when some members asked if he had a girl back in the North, Jason laughed and told them about some bitch he was screwing for fun. Because he knew it would anger his family, help him get back at his dad for something._

_Someone asked what he spent all his money on after he gathered his hundreds for the month, and he would say that he was saving it for something big._

“…And the big thing was, of course, to skip town. Leave Riverdale with Polly,” Jughead finishes. “I don't know what he planned to do with her after he managed to make it out and succeed at pissing off his parents. It couldn't have been safe…or legal.”

“Oh god…” Betty whispers. “You think he was planning to kill her in the end all along?”

“We’ll never know now, but I assume so. He hated her, after all. But anyways,” Jughead shrugs. “That’s all I know about the kid. We were never friends or anything.”

She nods. “Yeah, no wonder. So he really was clean?”

“Yep, all white and pristine. Funny how quickly things change, huh?”

“I honestly believe that he was drugged when he tried to kill Polly, but she told me that there's no way he would've gotten involved with that stuff.”

He squints. “Not sure drugs are totally off the table if he was gonna try to commit murder.”

“I know!” Betty exclaims. “But she insists that it's an impossible notion. I just don't get–oh god.”

“What?” Jughead asks, seeing her staring at something behind him. He turns around to see a redheaded kid with a Riverdale High jacket on.

“Betty!” The guy says upon spotting her, rushing towards their table. “What are you doing here?” He then takes notice of Jughead. “And who the hell is this?”

“This is Jughead,” Betty says sheepishly. Is she blushing? “Jughead, this is my friend, Archie.”

They shake hands. It’s awkward. “Andrews, right?” He asks.

“Yeah,” He sticks his hand back in his pocket, before returning his attention to his friend. “Betty, did you hear yet?”

“Hear what?” She inquires, confused.

“Jason Blossom is missing,” He somberly announces.

Jughead and Betty lock eyes instantly.

“And so it has begun,” He mutters under his breath, so no one could hear.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope this was okay, as I'm not too great at the action stuff lmao
> 
> talk to me, follow me, whatever you'd like:  
> twitter: @blamebughead (lol updated my @ again)  
> tumblr: thatfangirlingfreak
> 
> better chapters to come!!


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